The Italian spa resort town of Montegrotto Terme is banning the burqa, saying the head-to-toe Islamic outfit makes it impossible to identify the women who wear it. Its far-right mayor Luca Claudio denied the measure was xenophobic, the domestic Ansa news agency reported Friday.
"To make it difficult or impossible to recognise or identify the person who wears it (a burqa) is unacceptable behaviour in Western democracies where the primary duty of citizens is to carry an identity document," he said. Last month, the right-wing mayor of Varallo Sesia in the Piedmont region of northern Italy banned the "burkini" - a full-body Islamic swimsuit - and threatened violators with a 500 euro (735 dollar) fine. Montegrotto Terme, with a population of 10,000, is 50 kilometres (30 miles) south-west of Venice. Varallo Seisa is home to 7,500 people.
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